Racism did not arrive in the face of African American failure, but in the face of African American success. Everything from the stripping of the right to vote, to anti-immigration laws, even the right to marry - these are all occurring so much earlier than we could have imagined, but also in response to an equal rights movement that occurred earlier than we could have imagined. Unless we know these patterns, unless we see them occurring, then it's very difficult to know where we stand today.